Dental waste cups and holders for use with the same



g 22, 73%? c5. BERGENDAL ETAL 3,337,042

DENTAL WASTE CUPS AND HOLDERS FOR USE WITH THE SAME Filed Oct. 19, 1,965

5 Sheets-Sheet l g- 22, 1%7 G. BERGENDAL ETAL 3,337,042

DENTAL WASTE CUPS AND HOLDERS FOR USE WITH THE SAME Filed Oct. 19, 1966 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fig. 3

g- 9 1967 G. BERGENDAL. ETAL. 3,337,042

DENTAL WASTE CUPS AND HOLDERS FOR USE Filed Oct 1.9, 1966 W ITH THE S AME 5 $heets$heet F United States Patent 3,337,042 DENTAL WASTE CUPS AND HOLDERS FOR USE WITH THE SAME Gunnar Bergendal, Angbyhojden 42, Bromma, near Stockholm, Sweden, niersgatan 42, Hagersten, near Stockholm, Sweden Filed Oct. 19, 1966, Ser. No. 587,786 Claims priority, application Sweden, Nov. 1, 1965, 14,073/ 65 4 Claims. (Cl. 20663.5)

When performing works in the mouth of patients the dentist uses, among other facilities, a waste cup for collecting bloody gauze swabs, saliva-soaked pellets or rollers of cotton or other waste material, as well as a stripping fork combined in different ways with the cup and allowing a cleaning of the pliers and other hand instruments by wiping off the contaminations adhering to the same.

The waste cup usually consists of a metallic material or of glass or a combination of these two materials, and it is placed in an annular holder when mounted for utilization. After each .patient the waste cup has to be exchanged, removed, emptied, washed up, dried and sterilized for repeated utilization.

The stripping fork can be of a metallic material and then it causes about the same procedure as the cup for allowing it to be utilized for a new patient. The stripping fork can also be of paper for being discarded when used for one patient. In any case it has to be mounted on a pinshaped holder provided on the annular holder for the cup, and removed from said pin-shaped holder after utilization.

An object of the invention is to reduce the time hitherto necessary for the mounting and removal of the waste cup and the stripping fork, and to eliminate the time hitherto necessary for washing, drying and sterilization.

Another object is to improve the possibility of having the waste material collected on the bottom of the cup, avoiding sticking of the same at the circumference or lateral wall.

The essential features of the invention for attaining these objects refer to the provision of at least one stripping tongue projecting inwards from the circumference of the waste cup made from a material suitable for singleuse.

A further object of the invention is to render it possible to stack such single use cups in each other in spite of the projecting stripping tongue by having the stripping tongue occupying at first one position allowing stacking and then a different position of use.

The combination of features according to the invention is set forth in the appendant claims, and one embodiment of the invention is by way of example described in the following specification with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 shows the waste cup prior to the insertion of the same in a holder ring, and in a vertical cross-section along the line II in FIG. 2;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the waste cup corresponding to FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 shows the waste cup from the front side and after the insertion of the same in a holder ring;

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the waste cup corresponding to FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a fractional vertical cross-section through a stripping tongue and adjacent parts of the waste cup and the holder ring during an initial step of the insertion of the cup;

FIG. 6 is a cross-section similar to FIG. 5 but illustrating the stripping tongue upon completed insertion of the waste cup;

and Karl-Gustav Soderqvist, Eva Boni 3,337,042 Patented Aug. 22, 1967 FIG. 7 is a plan view of a modified waste cup prior to the insertion in a holder ring;

FIG. 8 is a cross-section similar to FIG. 6 but illustrating a modified holder ring adapted to be utilized with a waste cup according to FIG. 7.

In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, the circumferential wall 1 of the waste cup is made as a twelvesided polygon with a plurality of tongues 2 which are distributed along the circumferential edge of the cup. Prior to the insertion of the cup in the holder ring, said tongues 2 occupy a first position in which they lie in a plane substantially parallel with the bottom of the cup, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. At least one of said tongues is carried out as a stripping tongue or stripping fork with an outwardsextending base portion 2a and an upwards extending end portion 2b. The end portion 2b extends substantially at right angles to the base portion 26! (FIG. 1) and has a toothed edge 2c.

FIGS. 1 and 2 show a cup with two stripping tongues 2a, 2b, but it is possible to provide only one stripping tongue or more than two stripping tongues. The cup together with the tongues can be an integrally moulded body of plastic (a die-pressed article) or can be made integrally of paper or the like.

After taking out a cup from the bottom of a stack within a dispenser of well-known type, the cup is placed in the holder ring 3, as appearing from FIGS. 3 and 4. The holder ring can have an interruption in its circumference in the form of an opening 3 of a width such that the operator during the insertion of the cup in the holder ring 3 can pass a finger of the hand through said opening, so that it will not be necessary to change the grip when moving the cup from the dispenser to the proper position in the holder ring. After the cup has been put down loosely in the holder ring 3 according to FIG. 5, the cup is forced downwards through the holder ring, whereby all tongues 2 and 2a, 2b are bent upwards and finally occupy their position of use according to FIG. 6.

The connection of the tongues 2 and 2a, 2b with the circumference of the cup is pliable for allowing this bending, for instance having a thinner cross-section than the tongues and the wall of the cup.

When the tongues are bent upwards, the tongues 2 are directed upwards for guiding and maintaining the cup in proper position in the holder ring. Also the base portions 2a of the stripping tongues are directed upwards. Evidently the guiding tongues 2 correspond substantially to the base portions 2a the stripping tongues. The toothed end portions 2b of the stripping tongues as bent upwards are automatically brought approximately to the position shown in FIGS. 3, 4 and 6. It is important that the stripping tongues 2a, 2b which besides should be resilient to some extent, projects inwards over the cup so that waste material wiped off will fall down into the interior of the cup. An accordingly suitable angle has been given to the end portion 2b in relation to the base portion 2a from the beginning on account of the moulding or diepress procedure. The provision of more than one stripping tongue on the circumference of the cup will render it more easy for the operator to find a stripping tongue in a suitable position.

In the modification shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 the guiding tongues 2 of the cup of FIGS. 1 to 4 are eliminated, only two stripping tongues 2a, 211 being provided. The cup is not intended to be forced down through the holder ring, as according to FIG. 6, but is adapted to have its circumferential edge 1a resting upon and supported by the upper edge of the holder ring 3, as shown in FIG. 8. tongues 2a, 2b upwards, the holder ring is made with an upwards projecting tongue 3a for each stripping tongue of the cup, as shown in of each stripping tongue can e made with a projection 2d for engagement in a correponding recess in the tongue 3a of the holder ring, for ecuring the proper position of the cup in use. Also in his modification, the stripping tongues 2a, 2b occupy diferent positions when stacked and when in use, and they lave end portions 2b with a toothed edge 20, said end )ortions according to FIG. 8 extending inwards over the The cup should taper downwards so as to allow the itacking of the cups in each other in a dispenser, and the same relates also to the end portions of the stripping :ongues (see FIG. 1). The number of sides of the polygonal cross-section of the cup can be varied, and it is also possible to make the wall of the cup conical, as indicated in FIG. 7. The inclined wall of the cup can be made with guiding ribs 1b for engagement with the cylindrical holder ring 3, as indicated in FIG. 8.

The invention is not restricted to the embodiment described and illustrated, modifications being possible within the scope of the appendant claims.

We claim:

1. A dental waste cup adapted to be inserted in an annular holder, said cup comprising at least one stripping tongue for wiping off waste material from a dentists instrurnent, said stripping tongue being made integrally with the cup of a material suitable for use only for one patient, said stripping tongue comprising a base portion which prior to the insertion of the cup in a holder extends outwards from the circumference of the cup, and a toothed end portion which prior to the insertion of the cup in the 'IG. 8. The base position holder extends upwards from the cup, said stripping tongue having a pliable connection with the cup for allowing the holder to bend the stripping tongue when the cup is inserted in the holder, said stripping tongue after this insertion and bending having its base portion projecting upwards from the circumference of the cup, and having its toothed end portion extending inwards over the cup.

2. A dental waste cup as claimed in claim 1, comprising in addition to at least one stripping to claim 1 also a plurality of further tongues distributed along the circumference of the cup and consisting only of a base portion similar to the base portion of the said stripping tongue, said further tongues having also a pliable connection with the cup for allowing the holder to bend said further tongues when the cup is inserted in the holder, said further tongues after this insertion and bending projecting upwards from the circumference of the cup for maintaining the cup in proper position in the holder.

3. An annular holder for dental waste cups as claimed in claim 1, having an interruption in its circumference of a width allowing a finger of the hand to pass during insertion of a cup.

4. An annular holder for dental waste cups as claimed in claim 1, having a tongue projecting upwards for bending the stripping tongue inwards during insertion of a cup.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,202,523 5/1940 Gottheim 206-63.5

LOUIS G. MANCENE, Primary Examiner.

tongue according 

1. A DENTAL WASTE CUP ADAPTED TO BE INSERTED IN AN ANNULAR HOLDER, SAID CUP COMPRISING AT LEAST ONE STRIPPING TONGUE FOR WIPING OFF WASTE MATERIAL FROM A DENTIST''S INSTRUMENT, SAID STRIPPING TONGUE BEING MADE INTEGRALLY WITH THE CUP OF A MATERIAL SUITABLE FOR USE ONLY FOR ONE PATIENT, SAID STRIPPING TONGUE COMPRISING A BASE PORTION WHICH PRIOR TO THE INSERTION OF THE CUP IN A HOLDER EXTENDS OUTWARDS FROM THE CIRCUMFERENCE OF THE CUP, AND A TOOTHED END PORTION WHICH PRIOR TO THE INSERTION OF THE CUP IN THE HOLDER EXTENDS UPWARDS FROM THE CUP, SAID STRIPPING TONGUE HAVING A PLIABLE CONNECTION WITH THE CUP FOR ALLOWING THE HOLDER TO BEND THE STRIPPING TONGUE WHEN THE CUP IS INSERTED IN THE HOLDER, SAID STRIPPING TONGUE AFTER THIS INSERTION AND BENDING HAVING ITS BASE PORTION PROJECTING UPWARDS FROM THE CIRCUMFERENCE OF THE CUP, AND HAVING ITS TOOTHED END PORTION EXTENDING INWARDS OVER THE CUP. 